[jad2t]

Welcome to FishingTN! Not many of us on this forum, that I know of, have a lot of experience with the Watauga and Holston rivers but many of us have a lot of experience with the Caney Fork. One thing to note about the Caney is the regulations for keeping trout can be a bit confusing at first glance. Pay careful attention if you plan to take home a meal because the fines are steep!

Fishing with light tackle and roostertails has always been a reliable go-to method in the Caney for mostly smaller trout with a bigger surprise here and there. Hard jerkbaits in shad or trout patterns are used for the larger trout and work best at night or during times of generation and high water. I personally think you can outfish roostertails 10-1 using Trout Magnets on any given day and I'd recommend you bring some. If you're new to using them just get a couple of the floats and some of the more productive colors in that river are white, pink, and chartreuse. 2# flourocarbon line is a must for a leader. Put the float high enough on the line as to not get hung up in the water depth you're currently fishing (it varies quite a bit in that river), add a small splitshot about a foot above the lure. Cast, let it drift, watch the float go down, and enjoy. You'll catch mostly small trout that way but always be ready because quite a few 5+ pound trout have been caught in there on Trout Magnets.